Hundreds of Syrian refugees denied entry into Jordan: Amnesty International

Hundreds of Syrian refugees denied entry into Jordan: Amnesty International

Children pose for a picture as Syrian refugees go about their daily business in the Za'atari refugee camp on Feb. 1, 2013 in Jordan.

A new report by human rights group Amnesty International says that hundreds of refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria have been denied entry into Jordan and other neighboring countries.

The organization called the situation "unacceptable" and said that several categories of people are being denied entry into the country, including Palestinian and Iraqi refugees who have been living in Syria, those without identification and unaccompanied men with no family in Jordan.

Authorities in Jordan have denied the claims and say their borders are open to Syrian refugees.

"Refugees that reach our borders are allowed in, in accordance with international law and Jordan's historical position of providing safety to those who seek it," Jordanian government spokesman Mohammed al-Momani told BBC News.

Amnesty International also reported that in the past year, dozens of refugees have been allowed into Jordan and then deported back to Syria.

The group said that in August 2012, some 200 refugees were forcibly returned to Syria following a protest at the Zaatari refugee camp and that scores of others have been sent back to Syria since.

More than 100,000 people are estimated to have been killed since the Syrian conflict started in March 2011.

More than two million refugees have now fled the country, mostly finding refuge in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt.